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Post by Michal on Nov 27, 2023 19:02:39 GMT
Oh, and I forgot Money, Money, Money by Helen Sjöholm
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Post by Michal on Nov 27, 2023 19:00:41 GMT
The Winner Takes It All by At Vance and Chiquitita by Laleh. BTW, does anybody know what happened to that project of recording a new cover of Chiquitita for UNICEF every year?
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Post by Michal on Nov 19, 2023 8:47:22 GMT
I haven't got a lot to bring to the ABBAchat table these days.... ...the most invigorating ABBA-related experience I've had recently has come from finally getting around to giving Frida's solo Shine and Agnetha's solo I Stand Alone a listen—that's right; those two have come new to me after Voyage! Terrific, heartening listens, both. Now, that would be something I'd like to hear about. I've long since forgotten the thrill of hearing an ABBA (or solo) record for the first time. For some reason Voyage didn't do it for me, even though I like it a lot. Maybe the surreal feeling of hearing a new ABBA album after having been told for decades it would never happen again prevailed. In any case I do understand your reservations about posting here, as I've had the feeling of having not much to say for some time too. But as you can see your post made me react, so keep doing it 🙂
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Post by Michal on Nov 16, 2023 15:30:45 GMT
I'm A Marionette I Let The Music Speak Lovers and I guess quite many of the early recordings, when they haven't found their style yet - My Mama Said, Watch Out, Man In The Middle... By the way, I guess that most non-ABBA fans would be extremely surprised to find out that an ABBA song can be sung by a man
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Post by Michal on Nov 10, 2023 20:15:51 GMT
Seeing such a weak song can reach No.1 [The Beatles - Now and Then], it really was a missed opportunity with the first two Voyage singles. The Beatles are clearly still much bigger than ABBA. And the promotion was probably better handled. Let's hope that "the last ABBA song ever" will be a triumph, if we ever get one 🙂
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The Album
Nov 10, 2023 20:06:55 GMT
via mobile
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Post by Michal on Nov 10, 2023 20:06:55 GMT
By the way, when talking about The Album (my favourite subject, you see), I have to point out one thing about One Man, One Woman. If you consider what was going on between Björn and Agnetha at the time, the lyrics are probably the most personal and poignant in the entire ABBA catalogue. Little wonder that Frida is the lead vocalist, as otherwise it would probably be too emotional to handle. Especially as the the hope from the final verse was in vain.
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Post by Michal on Nov 10, 2023 19:58:19 GMT
You mention Agnetha's "unusually low" lead vocal for Move On, Michal, but I think she sings even lower on TYFTM. You're probably right. I wonder if the lower keys on The Album have something to do with Agnetha's pregnancy. Maybe Benny and Björn didn't want to strain her too much. But she sounds great when singing lower - maybe it's part of the charm of this album. As for the strings - the last album they used them was Voulez-Vous. After that Benny was already too obsessed with his synthesizer to let anybody else play anything 😄 I'm not able to rank the songs from The Album. The only thing I'm sure about is that I Wonder is at the bottom. I can't rank the others - it's like choosing your favourite child 🙂
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Post by Michal on Nov 9, 2023 20:10:32 GMT
The Album is my most favourite ABBA album by far and I think it's one of their best, if not the very best. It took some time before I've realized how good it is but since I did, I've never changed my mind.
There seems to be an unusual unanimity about the brilliance of side A but I find the other side just as fascinating:
Move On - great and unusually low lead vocal from Agnetha with those soaring high harmonies by Frida give me goosebumps every time I hear it
Hole In Your Soul - an intro to die for. The whole song brimming with energy. And Agnetha's scream in the middle eight to top it. Irresistible - should have been a single.
TYFTM - one of ABBA's signature songs for sure and I agree it must count among Agnetha's best vocals ever.
I Wonder - even though this one is probably my least favourite song from the album, I still rank it very high - brilliant melody and immaculate vocal delivery.
I'm A Marionette - the dark horse of the album. So menacing, dramatic, so un-ABBA... An extraordinary end to a spectacular record.
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2023 19:48:05 GMT
For me the novelty feeling of Voyage hasn't worn off yet and I play it quite often (not as often as after its release but it still remains my most often played ABBA album).
I like most of the songs; the least favourite are Little Things, Bumblebee and Ode To Freedom, but I never skip them and enjoy them in a way. The most favourite tracks are I Still Have Faith In You, Don't Shut Me Down and Keep An Eye On Dan - even if they would probably not make it to my personal Top 10, they are very valuable addition to ABBA's catalogue for me. The rest is somewhere in between but very enjoyable.
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2023 19:31:05 GMT
I guess this favourite/best/most listened to album topic deserves a thread of its own, so I'll do mine in a separare post:
Favourite: The Album Best: The Album Most played: Voyage (before its release it might have been Arrival, I think, but it changes with time).
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Post by Michal on Nov 7, 2023 19:26:46 GMT
It seems I'm in a minority here but I like Waterloo (the album) a lot. Far from perfect, but a lot of fun. The only song I've never liked much is Watch Out but it probably has to do with Björn trying (and failing) to sound like a rock singer. But the overall feel and energy of the album makes it a very fun listen. Don't kill me now, but there are times when I prefer it to the sterile perfection of Super Trouper...
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Post by Michal on Oct 30, 2023 15:08:35 GMT
Is anyone ready to rank their favourites on A+ yet? Or rank the album among their favorite Agnetha albums? Quite unexpectedly I've been warming up to the album recently, even humming WDWGFH now and then. Still it's definitely my least favourite Agnetha's album, and since I heard it just once or twice, I'm not ready to rank the songs. As for the albums, I prefer her Swedish solo stuff too (at least from Som Jag Är onwards), so my favourites would go like this: 1. Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus 2. När En Vacker Tanke Blir En Sång 3. Som Jag Är 4. MCB 5. WYAAM 6. Eyes Of A Woman 7. I Stand Alone 8. AF Vol.2 9. AF 10. A 11. A+ The children albums would be at the very bottom.
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Post by Michal on Oct 29, 2023 14:36:03 GMT
That's really sad news. I adored the girls of course but Chandler Bing was probably my most favourite character in Friends.
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Post by Michal on Oct 29, 2023 14:31:42 GMT
AdamDawson2003, don't you really know? Frida was just going through a break-up of her marriage and the song deals with the same matter. Isn't it enough to look sad?
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Post by Michal on Oct 23, 2023 16:24:56 GMT
Would it be possible for Bjorn & Benny to buy the rights back for ABBA's previous 8 studio albums (9 if you count Gracias Por La Musica) That's unreal. When Stig decided to sell rights to ABBA's back catalogue, Benny wanted to buy them. Stig's famous reply was: "You don't have that kind of money". Since then with the ABBA revival the price must have increased considerably and even if Benny and Björn had enough money to buy them, it would make no sense - they couldn't hope to get the investment back while they're still alive.
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Post by Michal on Oct 22, 2023 19:53:47 GMT
However, the Japanese atrocity does it absolutely no favours. I did, to my utter embarrassment, purchase the 7" Japanese Coca-Cola single many years ago (sight unseen) and upon first glimpsing the front sleeve, was so appalled, I never looked it at again. The alteration to the band's faces is beyond absurd, particularly Bjorn, who simply looks demented. I also never understood the 'faux-perm' enhancement to Frida's obviously straight hair in the original photo. Disturbing. I’m glad you said that as I had half an eye on one on eBay. I’m guessing it’s something better seen online and not owned? It's not that bad. Well, the sleeve is but the vinyl itself is quite nice. Certainly better than the recent Agnetha's picture disc, which strongly reminds me of Pikachu and the likes...
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Post by Michal on Oct 20, 2023 9:14:34 GMT
I'm really not disappointed or, indeed bothered by inclusion (or not) of a certain single or two. The aspect that could have been better in all the previous boxes are the colours of the vinyls. This box seems to be the first that is more imaginative in this respect. Otherwise it's been the same boring colours over and over again. If Metallica can release this: www.metallica.com/news/2023-10-05-colored-vinyl-outside-us.html , it's a real pity that we get blue, red, yellow and white all the time.
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Post by Michal on Oct 8, 2023 15:14:47 GMT
richard, I know you meant the thread to be about favourite tracks but it seems that most people (me included) are reluctant to name tracks which are too obvious and johnny's comment sort of confirmed it for me. And I was wondering why is that. Should we be ashamed of being predictable and liking the obvious?
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Post by Michal on Oct 8, 2023 12:40:32 GMT
Nice to see song choices from acts thatvare very different from ABBA - and mainly not the usual suspects. johnny's comment made me wonder if picking "the usual suspects" tells something about you as a fan. I mean, I could name hundreds of my favourite tracks from different artists but most of them would really be the predictable choices (and partly that was the reason I didn't bother yet). I was thinking if that means I'm superficial. Does choosing the obvious hits mean the person doesn't bother with going beyond the best ofs end essential collections? That doesn't have to be the case. I think I can call myself a Queen fan, having all their albums. But if I was asked about songs from their repertoire that mean the most to me, I could probably pick a few obscure tracks but I just couldn't overlook the most famous pieces such as Bohemian Rhapsody, because they really are the best. The same goes for most other acts... I like The Rasmus or Sunrise Avenue a lot and even though I have many favourite tracks, if pressed to choose just one, I would probably settle on the obvious In The Shadows and Fairytale Gone Bad. Bryan Adams? Summer Of 69 of course! Madonna? Like A Prayer! I could go on and on. But the same goes for ABBA - when compiling a top 20, there will be some surprises but when it comes to Top 5 or Top 3, I could hardly not mention the biggest hits. So what is this thread supposed to be about? The real favourites or deep cuts?
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Post by Michal on Sept 24, 2023 14:25:15 GMT
I've completely forgotten about this thread. Good idea to revive it.
I've always admired Céline Dion as one of the greatest vocalists of all time but never really was a fan. It changed quite recently after I discovered some of her French recordings. Here are two of my favourites:
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Post by Michal on Sept 24, 2023 14:12:53 GMT
If I remember it correctly, there was exactly the opposite information - only the parts featured in The Movie were overdubbed, not complete songs. It’s similar with the 1979 stuff isn’t it, in terms of visuals. Only what’s in that tour film still exists. I think you're right. They filmed only the songs that they wanted to include in the ABBA In Concert TV special. There might be some additional material but it's not edited. And probably there's not enough to make something satisfactory out of it. Thank You For The Music, which they edited for the DVD reissue of ABBA In Concert, clearly shows that it would be extremely difficult, if not completely impossible.
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Post by Michal on Sept 24, 2023 14:05:58 GMT
Pages 261-62 provides details/length of the recordings that survive on the mix tapes: He Is Your Brother - 04.41 Why Did It Have To Be Me - 04.08 Waterloo - 02.48 Money, Money, Money - 03.14 (Released on 1986 Live Album) Rock Me - 02.56 Intermezzo No.1 - 03.13 Fernando - 03.59 + 01.28 for audience sing-a-long (Released on 1986 Live Album) Tiger - 03.26 SOS - 03.29 When I Kissed The Teacher - 03.20 I've Been Waiting For You - 02.33 (incomplete - starts at end of first verse like in The Movie) Get On The Carousel - 04.54 + 0.51 (mono mix - but fairly complete except for reprise of I Wonder and Marionette which vocals are off-mike) So Long - 03.27 (incomplete - 1 minute into mix and jumps to section heard in The Movie) Mamma Mia - 02.14 (incomplete mono mix - starts at end of 1st verse but vocals only from 2nd verse) I'm A Marionette - 02.53 - ends 5 seconds into instrumental section I checked the passage in the book and to me it seems that at least some of these mixes are not the final ones. In case of He Is Your Brother and Mamma Mia the mixes are described as featuring only Frida, Benny and Björn with Agnetha being almost inaudible (she was not present in the studio for the overdubs probably because of her pregnancy). But you can hear her vocals in The Movie. So question marks remain. I would like to have the original unoverdubbed recordings (it they survived in the vaults), even if they were from different concerts. There were eleven to choose from, so I guess they would be able to find a decent recording of every song performed.
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 19:50:24 GMT
I've just realized there are at least two songs that don't appear in The Movie as full performances but were completely overdubbed - Fernando and Money, Money, Money. Both were released on ABBA Live album but they must have been overdubbed in 1977. So there is some hope 🙂
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 19:16:39 GMT
...particularly if full shows were recorded from the complete Australian tour (but I'm no expert on this). Full shows were recorded but only the parts featured in The Movie were overdubbed.
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 19:09:06 GMT
According to the updated version of The Complete Recording Sessions, there are a number of mix tapes that survived with full versions of The Movie songs Have we read the same book? If I remember it correctly, there was exactly the opposite information - only the parts featured in The Movie were overdubbed, not complete songs.
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 5:56:31 GMT
They must be making good money with merchandise and sponsorships though. That is separate to ticket sales. Yes, of course. But that doesn't make hundreds of millions pounds for sure.
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 5:55:02 GMT
Not sure I’d want a true audio release of a 1977 concert. It’s believed to exist, for a Royal Albert Hall show, but I’m so used to how they sound in The Movie that it would probably be a disappointment! Alan, have you heard some of the fan-made amateur recordings from the 1977 tour? I have and they sound surprisingly good. Definitely better than the ones from 1979. So I think that hearing unoverdubbed official recordings wouldn't be a shock. A good example is the officially released live version of I Wonder. There are no overdubs except for Benny's piano solo. And it sounds amazing. Michael Tretow is ashamed of the recording but I really can't see why. They were all too demanding, quality-wise, it seems! Releasing the overdubbed versions from The Movie seems unlikely - there are only three complete songs - He Is Your Brother, I'm A Marionette and Dancing Queen. I guess it would be weird to have a CD with snippets of live recordings. Unless they segued them in some way, like in ABBA Undeleted. I have most of them on bootlegs.
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Post by Michal on Sept 19, 2023 5:45:25 GMT
So when Frida is romping around the stage in her element singing ‘Why Did it have to be Me’, I assume Agnetha clocked off for a tea break and a quick ciggie? Why Did It Have To Be Me followed by Intermezzo No.1 gave her a necessary break for a costume change before The Girl With The Golden Hair sequence. Frida similarly had two songs for the same purpose - Intermezzo, followed by Thank You For The Music. The same trick was used during the 1979 tour. Agnetha was absent from stage during WDIHTBM and Intermezzo and Frida during Intermezzo and I'm Still Alive. I suppose something similar must have been done during the 1975 tour too but I don't remember the setlist so I can't be sure. But Intermezzo was featured too.
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Post by Michal on Sept 6, 2023 0:08:36 GMT
Interesting numbers, which however doesn't mean the costs are nearly recouped. We must not forget that the operating costs must be very high - there is the live band and the staff at the arena to pay. The amount of electricity to run the Arena must be enormous. And they are paying rent for the place. Plus there are taxes. So they're not really even close to breaking even - those £127 mil. is just a gross income. It doesn's say anything about the net profit.
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Post by Michal on Sept 3, 2023 11:33:49 GMT
HOMETIME, perfectly summed up. Personally I don't have a problem with vocal manipulation as such and most of us don't, as richard pointed out. This song has more problems and I think that the way the vocals are treated is being picked on because if it wasn't there or was done differently, it could have enhanced the song but it unfortunately does the opposite. There are many weak songs in Agnetha's repertoire but her voice saves them for me. In this case I can barely recognize it's actually Agnetha. And the song is so bland that I don't remember how it goes even after four listens, which doesn't happen to me usually.
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